Old McDonald’s FarmManagement proposal by:

•V. Ixen•P. Pare•R. Abbit•F. Urn

Resident experts:

• F. Urn & P. Pare – investigated the introduction & management of Prickly pear.

• B. Abbit – investigated the introduction & management of rabbits

• V. Ixen – investigated the introduction & management of foxes.

Impact of Prickly Pear

• Can form dense infestations• Expensive to control• Lays areas of pasture lands non-productive• Native animals won’t eat it• Native animals won’t live amongst it.

Control methods

• Hot fire can control large outbreaks

• Poisoning of clumps• Various introduced

beetles & moths

Rabbits

• Thomas Austin brought twenty four wild rabbits from England in 1859 and released them on his property in southern Victoria.

• Shooting was a popular sport, shooters may have sped up the spread of rabbits within Australia

Impact of rabbits

• Damage to paddocks for stock – 10 rabbits eat as much as 1sheep

• Damage to native flora• Warrens create damage to soil• Plagues have denuded land in the past• Litters average between 4 – 10 kittens• Approx 1 month gestation period

Traditional Rabbit Control Methods

• Hunting – commercially & recreational• Trapping• Rabbit proof fencing• Warren ripping & fumigating• Releasing of viruses

Foxes

• Melbourne in 1845 for sport hunting

• 100 years to spread across Australia

• Some islands are considered ‘fox free’

Impact of Foxes

• Killing of native medium/small fauna• Killing of stock such as fowls & lambs• Assist in keeping down rabbit numbers• Lives in rural & urban areas – scavengers• Average number of 4 pups per litter.• Can carry diseases – notably mange & rabies.

Traditional management strategies

• Hunting – shooting & trapping

• Bounties for hunters• Fencing• Poisoning – baiting

Our plan for Old McDonald’s Farm

• Farm budget to cater for pest control each year.• Join local community groups involved in protecting the local area.• Allow local gun club members to hunt on land.• Burn off paddocks affected by Prickly Pear – replant with native

grasses & plants.• Regularly demolish areas affected by rabbit warrens.• Develop a long term plan to replace current fences to protect stock.• Plant native plants along fence lines to provide havens for native

fauna.• Establish a ‘farm stay’ property for people interested in

environmental issues. Encourage their participation in management strategies.

• Assign 15% of the farm income to controlling feral influences. Apply for government assistance.

Other areas

• Lobby government officials to provide subsidies for pest control.

• Keep abreast of current management techniques via the internet

• Lobby for more stringent Quarantine laws & management.

• Develop a local community action group to monitor the area.

• Offer property as a ‘trial property’ for further study of feral problem.

BibliographyHistory of the European wild rabbit in Australia

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/rabbits/history.html

Aust. Gov.: European Red Fox

http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/fox/

ANZCCART Fact Sheet: The Laboratory Rabbit

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/ANZCCART/publications/FS_Rabbit.pdf

Qld Gov.: Prickly pear identification and their controlhttp://www.nrm.qld.gov.au/factsheets/pdf/pest/PP29.pdf

Images: http://office.microsoft.com/clipart

© State of Victoria 2006  Pamela Remington-Lane attended an Intel Teach Program course and provided the idea for this portfolio. A team of teachers expanded the project.Copyright is owned by the Crown in right of the State of Victoria. It may be reproduced in whole or in part for study or training purposes, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. Reproduction for the purposes other than those indicated above requires the written permission of the Department of Education and Training. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and copyright should be addressed to the Liability Management Manager, Department of Education and Training, 2 Treasury Place, Melbourne, VIC, 3002The State of Victoria accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any part of this material and bears no responsibility for any modifications made.